Elmer Wayne Henley (born May 9, 1956) served as a teenage accomplice to serial killer [[Dean Corll]] in the [[Dean Corll Murders]] from 1970 to 1973. Henley played a crucial role in facilitating Corll's crimes by luring victims and participating in their torture and murder. He ultimately ended the killing spree by shooting and killing Corll on August 8, 1973.[^1] ### Background and Recruitment Elmer Wayne Henley, a 17-year-old resident of [[Houston, Texas]], was introduced to [[Dean Corll]] by fellow accomplice [[David Owen Brooks]] approximately two years before the crimes' exposure in 1973. Brooks, who had known Corll since age 12, brought Henley into the fold after Henley expressed interest in earning money. Corll promised Henley at least $200 per boy procured, with higher payments for particularly attractive ones. Henley and Brooks lived with Corll on and off for three years, gradually progressing from mere procurement to active involvement in the torture, rape, murder, and disposal of victims. Henley confessed to directly participating in at least six murders during this period.[^1] ### Role in the Crimes Henley worked alongside [[David Owen Brooks]] to lure young males aged 13 to 20, often from disadvantaged backgrounds or runaways, to Corll's home in [[Pasadena, Texas]]. Once there, victims were restrained on a plywood torture board equipped with handcuffs and ropes, subjected to sexual assault, torture using tools like glass rods, a double-ended dildo, and a hunting knife, and ultimately killed by strangulation or a .22 caliber gunshot to the head. Henley assisted in these acts, including helping bury bodies in mass graves: 17 at the Silverbell boat shed, four near [[Lake Sam Rayburn]], and seven along the [[Bolivar Peninsula]]. His involvement extended to parties where drugs and paint sniffing incapacitated victims. Henley's actions contributed to at least 28 confirmed murders between September 1970 and August 1973.[^1] ### Confession, Connections, and the Final Confrontation On August 8, 1973, Henley attended a "paint sniffing party" at Corll's [[Pasadena, Texas]], bungalow with 20-year-old [[Timothy Cordell Kerley]] and 15-year-old [[Rhonda Louise Williams]]. Corll bound the group and raped Kerley, but Henley freed himself and shot Corll multiple times with a .22 pistol, killing him. Henley then contacted the [[Pasadena Police Department]] to report the shooting, leading officers to discover Corll's naked body and torture equipment in the home. During his signed confession on August 9, 1973, at 11:55 a.m., Henley detailed his role and revealed Corll's ties to a [[Dallas, Texas]], organization that bought and sold boys, ran prostitution and drug operations, and involved members in murders. He quoted Corll: "Dean told me that he belonged to an organisation out of Dallas that bought and sold boys, ran whores and dope and stuff like that. Dean told me that he would pay me $200 at least for every boy that I could bring and maybe more if they were real good looking boys." This statement connected the case to the [[Odyssey Foundation]] and [[Odyssey Network]] operated by [[John David Norman]] in [[Dallas, Texas]], coinciding with the August 1973 raid on Norman's operation. Henley directed police to the body disposal sites, resulting in the recovery of 28 victims.[^1] ### Legal Proceedings and Outcome Henley was arrested immediately after his confession and tried for his role in the murders. In 1974, he was convicted of six counts of murder and sentenced to six concurrent life terms. Despite his actions in killing Corll and aiding the investigation, his prior participation in luring and murdering victims led to his conviction. Brooks received a similar outcome for four murders. The [[Houston Police Department]] and [[Pasadena Police Department]] investigations, supported by Henley's testimony, exposed the scale of the crimes but faced criticism for abandoning leads on broader trafficking networks, including connections to [[Roy Ames]] and [[California]]-based pornography operations.[^1] ### Footnotes [^1]: Dovey, S. (2023). Eye of the Chickenhawk. United States: Thehotstar.